Handmade From the Heart: 5 DIY Gifts for Bookworms

If you're a crafter and you're like me, who has a lot of bookworms for friends, have you ever thought of giving them a gift that's handmade from the heart?

Why Come Up With Handmade Gifts for Bookworms?

People, regardless of hobbies or interests, appreciate the uniqueness of handmade gifts.

Giving your bookworm friends a gift already means you're thinking of them. 

And yet, handmade gifts tend to stand out and may be deemed more special than presents bought from a store, boutique, or shop.

Handmade gifts don't mean "looking sloppily, carelessly, or tastelessly done." Handmade gifts showcase novelty and uniqueness. 

Handmade gifts can be more cost-effective than store-bought gifts.

When gifts are handmade, it doesn't mean you have to make them from scratch by buying new craft materials. 

Want to get new craft supplies as a substitute for unused ones in your craft stash? Read --

How to Host A Craft Supplies Swap

How to Host a Craft Supplies Swap 

You can come up with gifts by recycling, upcycling, or repurposing stuff you already have, or any surplus from your craft stash, or even junk!

You can customize the handmade gift to suit the bookworm's tastes and preferences. 

No 2 bookworms are alike, so take into consideration your page pals' hobbies and interests, tastes and preferences.

For example, you may be familiar with his favorite characters in pop culture or video games, or whether she's drawn to the Self-Help, Classics, or Romance section of a bookstore.

You can make multiple gifts for different occasions.

To illustrate, you can take Valentine's or Christmas-themed scrapbook paper in order to suit the occasion. 

You can use embellishments, or other craft materials that aren't paper-based, like lace, ruffles, buttons, pom poms, and ribbons.

Having said all of the above, here are 5 gifts you can make for bookworms:

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(1.) A set of bookmarks 

Shabby chic

Shabby chic brings to mind run-down yet charming cottages in the countryside, pillow cases decked with frilly lace, dainty floral patterns, and elegant tea sets. 

Satin ribbons sold per 5 yards by
Tellys Tutu & Hairbow Supplies

Treat your bookworm friends and let them get a taste by making a set of shabby chic bookmarks.  

Sesame Street

This set of bookmarks that took after the beloved characters from Sesame Street is a stark contrast to the understated elegance of shabby chic bookmarks. 

While adult bookworms will surely appreciate and even wax nostalgic over these handmade bookmarks, giving them to children will entice them to pick up the reading habit early. 

DIY Halloween bookmarks
Photo from Crazee Kids Art
Click here for
complete procedure.

Halloween

This bunch of Halloween bookmarks can be included inside loot bags filled with Halloween candy, or completely replace candy for trick-or-treaters. 

These bookmarks can also be educational for young children, because their tactile nature will familiarize them with different textures. 

And the best part? All you have to do is recycle a few craft materials to come up with a bunch of them! 

Repurposed bookmarks from greeting cards

Turning old greeting cards into bookmarks, especially birthday and Christmas cards, can help you declutter. 

To find out what makes greeting cards ideal craft materials, read --

Quick Crafts: Recycling Old Greeting Cards

Photo from Mod Podge Rocks!
Click here for complete procedure

Mod Podge from
pocketsavers

Photo from The Farmer's Daughter

Photo from The Farmer's Daughter
Click here for complete procedure

(2.) Comic book coasters 

If you have old comic books lying around the house, or if you used to keep the Sunday comics and they're now gathering dust somewhere, why not turn them into coasters? 

A lot of bookworms enjoy having a hot beverage like coffee, tea, or chocolate while reading, or ice cold orange juice or lemonade if the weather is warm. Surely, they'll appreciate several comic book coasters, especially if they're into comics themselves. 

(3.) E-reader holder 

If the bookworm you have in mind is more of an electronic reader, try this no-sew handmade project.

You can choose patterns, colors, and prints of fabric that you know your bookworm friend will like. You can even go for felt cloth.

(4.) Gift card holder 

A gift card or gift certificate to go book shopping at his or her favorite bookstore will make any bookworm ecstatic. 

Or, it could also be a reloadable gift card for a coffee shop, diner, or cafe. 

With handmade gift card holders, you can have a pretty or cute container into which you can insert your gift cards. 

(5.) Reading journal 

There are plenty of things bookworms can do with a reading journal. They can keep track of books they have read, jot down their thoughts about certain passages from a book, copy inspiring quotes, etc.

To DIY a reading journal, you can alter the cover of a plain composition notebook by wrapping it with scrapbook paper or even pretty fabric, accented with lace and buttons. 

You can even go a step further by turning the cover into a collage, or applying techniques in decoupage or paper mache.